Pipe organ pressure regulator



Oct. 5, 1965 w. J. BOSCHE, JR

PIPE ORGAN PRESSURE REGULATOR Filed Jan. 12, 1965 mvsmon WALWIN J. BOSCHE JR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,209,636 PIPE ORGAN PRESSURE REGULATOR Walwin J. Bosche, Jr., Highland, 11]., assignor to Wicks Organ Company, Highland, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Jan. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 424,972 2 Claims. (Cl. 84-42) The art of pressure regulation in pipe organs has been little understood heretofore. In general air pressure is supplied from a blower. The air is stored at a given pressure in the chest, as it is called. When a series of keys are depressed on the keyboard, or for instance when a chord is struck, the air pressure in the chest drops.

A regulator is supplied to such organs to maintain the pressure level even. Generally the regulator has been a large box-like structure, connected in series between the air blower, which is motor-driven, and the chest. Because of the size heretofore considered necessary, the regulator has been mounted at some distance from the chest and relatively large diameter tubing has been used for the connection to the chest.

In recent years however it has become recognized the use of relatively higher pressures, which aid in driving the air from the blower to the regulator and then to the chest, have disadvantages. While the higher pressures enable the air to move through the resistances of longer sections of tubing, the higher pressures result in scratchiness of tone, when the air enters the pipes of the organ. Modern pipe organs have been designed to operate at lower and lower pressures. The lower the pressure levels, the lower the air turbulence in the pipes, and the smoother the tone of the note produced by the pipe being activated.

One of the principal objects of my invention has been to design an air regulator which fits on the chest of the pipe organ. Thus there is no interconnecting tubing, which can only offer resistance and impedance to the flow of air therethrough.

Another object of my invention has been to provide an air regulator which is small enough to fit conveniently on the chest. By making the air pressure regulator smaller and mounting it on the chest directly, which is entirely contrary to present practice, there is also less delay in regulation. The pressure drop which occurs when the keys of the organ are depressed, is exhibited as a pressure wave. Being a pressure wave in air, it travels at the speed of sound. When there is tubing to pass through, and there is a combination of mechanical elements to actuate in order to produce pressure compensation, there is a delay. By mounting the regulator on the chest and eliminating the tubing which was heretofore considered to be necessary, the delay is lower. Recovery of pressure with my present design has been cut to the level of 0.03 second, which is an order of magnitude lower than was previously considered possible.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear to those skilled in the art of pipe organ design, by reference to the appended drawing and the specification which describes the action of the device.

Numeral 1 is given to the reservoir which replaces the bottom board in a pipe organ chest. Thus the open top of the reservoir 1 communicates directly with the bottom of the organ chest.

The reservoir is formed like a four-sided box, and provided with a bottom 2. Disposed below the bottom 2 is the pressure-sensing and compensating member 3. Member 3 is in the form of a light rectangular board which is hinged to the bottom 2 by the hinge 4. A bellows 5 is provided between the bottom 2 and the pressuresensing and compensating member 3. Bellows 5 serves to seal the bottom 2 and the member 3 together so that 3,209,636 Patented Oct. 5, 1965 no air may escape in the manner conventional with bellows construction.

In one of the upright walls of the reservoir 1 an opening is cut and a tube 6 inserted. Tube 6 communicates with the blower which is not shown. A vane-type rotary valve is inserted in the wall and is numbered 7. The valve 7 is provided with openings 8 and vanes 9.

One of the vanes 9 is provided with a vane-adjustment link 10. Link 10 passes through a hole 11 in the bottom 2 of the reservoir 1 and is attached at 12 to the pressuresensing and compensating member 3.

A restoring spring 13 is mounted between the bottom 2 of the reservoir 1 and the pressure-sensing and compensating member 3. The side facing the viewer is cut away in the figure so that the valve 7, the link 10, and the restoring spring 13 can be clearly seen.

In addition a series of holes 14, 14, are cut through the bottom 2 of the reservoir 1. These holes are called the sensitivity adjustment holes. A sliding valve cover plate 15 is provided. Cover plate 15 is operated from the outside of the reservoir 1 by means of the lever 16, which projects through one of the upright walls.

In operation the blower which is not shown, is always on when the organ is operated. Consequently air is always moving in the direction of the arrow into the tube 6.

When the blower first is turned on, air is forced through the openings 8, 8 in the rotary valve 7. This air passes upward through the open top of the reservoir 1 and builds up pressure in the chest of the organ, not shown. The air also passes through the uncovered holes 14, 14 in the bottom 2 of the reservoir. The air flows through the uncovered holes 14, 14 and expands the bellows 5, moving the pressure-sensing and compensating member 3 downward in the drawing. Expansion of the bellows 5 causes the restoring spring 13 to be stretched, until an equilibrium is established between the air pressure inside the regulator and the force exerted by the restoring spring 13.

However, it will be noted that as the member 3 has been moved downward in the drawing, the adjustment link 10 has been drawn down through the hole 11 in the bottom 2, and with this action, the vanes 9, 9 of the rotary valve 7 have been rotated about the center of the valve 7, closing the openings 8, 8. Closing of the openings 8, 8, acts to cut otf the supply of air from the blower and the pressure in the reservoir 1 has been established at the preset value.

Now when a key on the organ keyboard is depressed, air is drawn from the chest, lowering the pressure in the chest, as air rushes through the appropriate pipe of the organ connected to and controlled by the key which has been depressed. Lowering of the pressure in the chest is immediately following by a pressure drop in the reservoir 1 which is mounted directly on the bottom of the chest and communicates therewith.

Lowering of pressure in the reservoir 1 results in the restoring spring 13 raising the pressure-sensing and compensating member 3, by means of the energy stored in the spring, which was formerly stretched and which now releases that energy by raising the member 13.

As the pressure-sensing and compensating member 13 raises to hold the pressure in the reservoir 1 constant, the link 10 is raised through the hole 11 in the bottom 2 of the reservoir 1. Raising the link 10 rotates the vanes in the reverse direction and the vanes 9 rotate to provide the openings 8, 8 again communicating through the tube 6 with the blower.

Thus as long as the key on the keyboard is depressed, air will be drawn from the blower, through the reservoir, through the chest and driven through the pipe associated with that key. The pressure in the chest, the reservoir and the regulator section, which is that portion between the bottom 2 and the pressure-sensing and compensating member 3, will all remain constant. e

When the key on the keyboard is released, the initial action will begin again. The air coming through the open ings 8, 8 will not be diverted through the reservoir 1 and the chest to the pipe which has now become silent, but will instead flow through the holes 14 in the bottom 2 of the reservoir 1. Thus the air pressure will stretch the spring 13, driving the pressure-sensing and compensating member downward in the drawing. This action will pull downward the link 10 and in turn adjust the vanes to the closed position, so that no more air will enter the chest or the reservoir from the blower through the tube 6.

In order to adjust the sensitivity of my invention I provide a cover plate 15, slidably mounted along the bottom of the reservoir 1, on the bottom 2. The cover plate 15 is operated by the lever 16 which projects through the upright wall of the reservoir.

When the lever 16 is moved to the position 16', the cover plate 15 is moved to the position 15', at which position it would cover all of the holes 14, 14 which communicate between the reservoir 1 and the pressure-sensing and compensating member 3. Adjustment is made by uncovering the number of holes which will provide quick response to pressure changes without causing the pressuresensing and compensating member 3 to move jerkily and to bounce.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which my invention pertains, that various modifications, variations, and changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention which I have illustrated in the drawing, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In an organ pressure regulator for an organ provided with a chest and a blower,

a reservoir consisting of four side walls and a bottom provided with holes therethrough, mounted on and communicating directly withsaid chest, a

a pressure-sensing and compensating member hinged- 5 1y mounted upon the bottom of said reservoir,

a bellows sealing the reservoir bottom to said pressuresensing and compensating member,

a vane-type air valve mounted in one wall of said reservoir and. communicating with said blower, to regulate the direct flow of air from said blower through said reservoir to said chest,

a restoring spring mounted between said reservoir bottom and said pressure-sensing and compensating member to limit the travel of said pressure-sensing and compensating member,

a vane-adjusting link connecting said air valve vanes to said pressure-sensing and compensating member through said reservoir bottom to control the air movement from said blower through said valve by means of said member.

2. The combination described in claim 1, and further characterized by a sensitivity adjustment cover plate slidably mounted on the reservoir bottom above said reservoir bottom holes, and

a cover plate adjustment lever mounted through one of said side-walls of said reservoir to control the position of said cover plate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,033,000 7/12 Forster 84-42 1,318,350 10/19 Brown 84-42 1,344,328 6/20 Worden 84-42X 3,142,220

7/ 64 Bullard 84--42 LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN AN ORGAN PRESSURE REGULATOR FOR AN ORGAN PROVIDED WITH A CHEST AND A BLOWER, A RESERVOIR CONSISTING OF FOUR SIDE WALLS AND A BOTTOM PROVIDED WITH HOLES THERETHROUGH, MOUNTED ON AND COMMUNICATING DIRECTLY WITH SAID CHEST, A PRESSURE-SENSING AND COMPENSATING MEMBER HINGEDLY MOUNTED UPON THE BOTTOM OF SAID RESERVOIR, A BELLOWS SEALINGO THE RESERVOIR BOTTOM TO SAID PRESSURESENSING AND COMPENSATING MEMBER, A VANE-TYPE AIR VALVE MOUNTED IN ONE WALL OF SAID RESERVOIR AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID BLOWER, TO REGULATE THE DIRECT FLOW OF AIR FROM SAID BLOWER THROUGH SAID RESERVOIR OT SAID CHEST, A RESTORING SPRING MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID RESERVOIR BOTTOM AND SAID PRESSURE-SENSING AND COMPENSATING MEMBER TO LIMIT THE TRAVEL OF SAID PRESSURE-SENSING AND COMPENSATING MEMBER, A VANE-ADJUSTING LINK CONNECTING SAID AIR VALVE VANES TO SAID PRESSURE-SENSING AND COMPENSATING MEMBER THROUGH SAID RESERVOIR BOTTOM TO CONTROL THE AIR MOVEMENT FROM SAID BLOWER THROUGH SAID VALVE BY MEANS OF SAID MEMBER. 